Defensive alignment concepts from the Broncos’ preseason opener

Ted BartlettAug 16, 2011 3:00 PM

Happy Tuesday, friends. As expected, I had a crazy two-wedding weekend, and it just ended around midnight Tuesday morning. I caught the garter at the Cleveland wedding, because I catch a disproportionate number of garters at weddings, and I now have a Cleveland Browns garter on my man-cave bulletin board, next to the other two I’ve gotten in recent years. People sure love their football.

Logistically speaking, I watched the Thursday night game live and participated in the Chewing the Fat discussion that you read a couple days ago. That ended around midnight ET, and I had to be up 4.5 hours later for a 6 AM flight on Friday morning. There was another early morning flight Saturday morning, hustling to get to the second wedding, a drunk/disheveled wakeup in a hotel Sunday, marked by explaining why my drunk friend got mad and punched the glass out of a picture that was in a room under my name and credit card (accident, of course!), followed by recovery, and then an opening-to-closing visit to Cedar Point amusement park on Monday. It was a really good weekend.

Of course, I’ve known all summer that it would pretty much be my off-the-grid weekend of the year, so I haven’t had time to do much football or website activities. Last night when I arrived home at midnight, I re-watched the two first-team series from Thursday’s game in detail, and I decided that I would use that activity as the basis for a short post today as I get back into my regular routine of extreme, but scheduled, busyness. Here are some observations.

1. Smart IAOFM readers know that 4-3 is simply a personnel grouping, and not a scheme, because I beat them over the head with that concept frequently. Doug recently pointed to a PFF article where the writer Sam Monson likened the Broncos defense to a 3-4. While Monson clearly watched the game, and has a point, he’s oversimplifying things, and I want to get into some clarification on what I saw.

First of all, think about the Broncos’ base grouping, which is essentially their best 11 defensive players. This is what I think we all expect it to be:

Robert Ayers

Brodrick Bunkley

Marcus Thomas

Elvis Dumervil

Von Miller

Joe Mays

D.J. Williams (actually Wesley Woodyard on Thursday)

Champ Bailey

Andre’ Goodman

Rahim Moore

Brian Dawkins

I didn’t label these players with positions for a reason, because I want to make a point. What do you call that grouping? I would call it a 4-3 grouping, but that’s very, very debatable, because there are a couple of players there who play different positions in different alignments. I focused on nine first-unit plays, and I found some key alignment concepts that I wanted to go over.

I’m going to name them as descriptively as I can, and I’m going to keep using these names in future writings, because we’re going to come back to this repeatedly.

Base 40

The Broncos aligned in a base look for four consecutive of the nine plays we’re looking at. There was a defensive line of Ayers, Bunkley, Thomas, and Dumervil. Five yards behind them were linebackers Miller, Mays, and Woodyard. Ayers and Dumervil each played on both sides among the 4 snaps.

On two of the four plays, Brian Dawkins played at the line of scrimmage, and on those plays, Bailey and Goodman had press alignment. When Dawkins played outside the box areas, both CBs played off-coverage alignment.

Standup 50

The front looked exactly the same as Base 40, but Miller played at the line of scrimmage standing up. Mays and Woodyard were still five yards deep. This 50-front look was used for the first two defensive snaps, and on 2nd and 8, Dawkins was at the line of scrimmage as a wide 9-technique, outside of Miller. Both players dropped into zone coverage on the play, seemingly into the same zone.

This alignment was used again later in the series against 22 personnel on 1st and 10. Both times the Cowboys ran the ball against this 50 look, they got stuffed. The one time they threw it, they gained 10 yards and a first down.

Rush 40 Nickel

This alignment featured Miller as a DE with his hand down and Ayers inside as a DT, along with Thomas and Dumervil. This was run once against 11 personnel, with Tony Romo in the shotgun. Miller ran right by Cowboys RT Tyron Smith, but Romo was on a quick drop, and Miller slipped trying to bend back toward him.

Bailey covered the slot, and Cassius Vaughn played as the nickelback, but moved outside to LCB. This reminded me a lot of what the Packers do with Charles Woodson, and since Bailey is so good in run support, it has the effect of being able to play with four down linemen and three LBs, even if one of the linemen is really a LB, and one of the LBs is really a CB. The Broncos played off alignment on the outside, and played man coverage, with the two safeties taking deep halves.

Rush 60 Nickel

This was used on 3rd and 10, and was very successful. The front was the same as Rush 40 Nickel, with Mays and Woodyard also crowding the line, along with Dawkins and Bailey, who was in the slot. Moore was single-high, and Vaughn and Goodman played off. The Broncos got good pressure, and the pass was incomplete.

Remember these four alignment concepts. I’m only scratching the surface of the details here, because I didn’t have days to analyze it all, and it’s a small sample size anyway. I expect that these are the primary personnel and alignment concepts that we’ll see this season on defense, though.

Interestingly, if you consider Miller a LB, then Rush 40 Nickel is actually a 3-3 grouping. I consider him a hybrid player, and when I say 40, I simply mean that there are four front-seven players on the line of scrimmage. When I say 60, I mean that there are six of them. I don’t count secondary players in the classification of the front for this purpose, because a slot guy like Bailey is there to play press and re-route his man, more than he is to blitz usually. Dawkins is going to play near the line a lot, but he moves around a lot - dropping, blitzing, and playing the run.

This all has the potential to be a really interesting and effective defense. The drafting of Miller was criticized by football commentators who mostly don’t know what they’re talking about, because they’re convinced that he’s not a scheme fit, but he’s quickly going to become the centerpiece player that the scheme is built around.

When you’re subbing out a NT for a nickelback, what you have is a very fast nickel grouping, the kind that you can do all kinds of creative and disruptive things with. If Vaughn or Perrish Cox can play well outside in those groupings, I think that it has the potential to be among the best in the NFL, along with the Packers.

2. I really liked what I saw out of the Strong Safety position on Thursday. Between Dawkins, Kyle McCarthy, and Quinton Carter, all three players were very active and involved in what the defense was trying to do. All three played very well, and McCarthy was especially impressive.

It’s a great luxury, being able to use a SS all over the place, but it’s dependent upon strong play by the FS in the middle of the field. Troy Polamalu can’t do what he does if Ryan Clark can’t hold up sideline to sideline. Rahim Moore has a tall order in trying to be this guy as a rookie, but he looked decisive on Thursday, and most reports from camp say he’s been impressive.

3. It defies conventional wisdom, but I like Eric Decker better in the slot than I do Eddie Royal, and I like Royal better outside than I do Decker. I don’t think that Royal took very well to the route tree that he was asked to run the last two years, and that he was most effective outside as a rookie. He’s a lot like Steve Smith, in terms of build, speed, and strength, so I expect John Fox and Mike McCoy to know how to use him out there.

Decker is big, and CW says that slot guys must always be small, but he’s fluid in his routes, and he has an outstanding natural feel for finding soft spots in zones. Plus, nickel CBs are usually smaller, to cover smurfy slot receivers, and I like the idea of having a size/strength mismatch inside.

I'm out of time, but I'll be delving more deeply into the video as the week goes on, and I'll see you Friday in anticipation of Saturday night's game. Have a great couple days.

1. I’m not in the arguing business, I’m in the saying what I think business.
2. I get my information from my eyes.

Was just turned on to this blog by a fellow Broncomaniac&#8230. couldn&#8217t be more impressed!

I LOVE the idea of Deck in the slot. I LOVE the idea of Miller being mixed with the Dline and LB&#8217s (as we&#8217ve also seen in camp with Miller being the only LB doing some of the Dline drills)... can you imagine an overloaded Doom/Miller blitz?! I don&#8217t think you&#8217ll have to <img alt="smile" height="19" src="http://www.singernet.com/images/smileys/smile.gif" style="border:0;" width="19">

Didn&#8217t talk about Moreno much but I was encouraged by his breaking of a few arm tackles and that spin move was beautiful at the LOS turning a loss into a solid gain.

Really looking forward to reading more, more more!

Posted by BznGznOz on 2011-08-17 17:19:14

Great read, Ted. Excellent outline of the defensive groupings used in the Dallas game.

After the SB this year, you talked about the best defensive personel that each team had on the field: Pittsburg had their starting 11; GB had their nickel package. It looks like this is what Allen is driving for. They are experimenting with the different groupings of players and assignments to see how it works.

I think we will see some awesome defense this year when this crew gets settled in. I feel a lot more confident going into the season this year than last year.

Thanks, Ted.

Posted by BlackKnight on 2011-08-17 05:21:38

Thanks, Chooch. That makes sense and seems like something we could use to our advantage - esp against some of the pass happy offenses. I agree this defense is the first in what seems like eons that has a chance to really be exciting.

Meant to add in original post, excellent read Ted and as always very informative.

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2011-08-17 00:29:01

Quality post! With the rooks and a new scheme one has to expect homeruns resulting from mistakes. However, your post adds fuel to my thoughts that our D will not have to wait a year to come together, although it is likely we may be 6 or more games into the season before some of the rough edges smooth out.

Also, there is a growing sense our offense will be a LOT more balanced, able to eat up clock time, and yet open up the passing game. There is an even greater sense that our management team has a fundamentally solid plan on par with teams like Pittsburgh and New England. Pretty good company and it is early I know, but that is the sense I&#8217m getting.

Posted by BroncosCUbuffs on 2011-08-16 23:54:53

O&B

I think the alignment that you are referring to is the &#8220Big Nickel&#8221 or a 4-2-5 alignment in which a linebacker is subbed for a hybrid safety/linebacker. IIRC, it is/was used as a way to get around injuries or deficiencies at linebacker.

Considering many, not really sure if I include myself, see Mays and Williams as liabilities in coverage, Allen might consider this an option in passing down situations, with either or both subbed for McCarthy and or Carter. It could also be formidable with McCarthy and/or Dawk stacking the box. I am sure this has been explored by much smarter football minds than I, but I can envision one hell of a pass rush/ run blitz with this formation.

I am sure one of those brighter minds can point out anything I have missed, but I believe that is along the lines of your thought process. I am very excited about this defense for the first time in many years, and even with the potential of losing Warren for possibly the year, I imagine this defense will still he fun to watch again, if nothing else.

Great read Ted, enjoy your articles immensely!

Posted by Chooch on 2011-08-16 23:53:55

Ted I have aquestion;

Between this first game and last years first under Martindale, what differences if any do you see in personnel alignments?

Posted by bfree2bronc on 2011-08-16 23:53:28

Super 7, #12

Good point, S 7. The West Coast offenses like what they tend to call &#8216possession receivers&#8217 - tall, often one cut guys who can catch the passes over the middle and in short yardage. If you recall, Brandon Marshall used to have to turn and face the QB to get the catch, one of his weaknesses, but was very effective over the middle, no matter where he ran the route from. Eric Decker does remind me of that, sans the emotional incidents. He&#8217s tall, has great cuts and great hands. There&#8217s no reason not to use him over the middle - and he can run routes from the outside, too.

When he can also block, J. Thomas will bring many of the same skills, along with a remarkable ability to box out and use his body to protect the ball that he brought from basketball. The two of them are quite a pair of weapons. Having Royal and Lloyd on the outsides would finish off a great starting group. Matt Willis and potentially Eron Riley should round out a solid bunch.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-08-16 23:23:39

Good read Ted. You should&#8217ve driven past ceder point to port Clinton. Put In Bay&#8230.... Top 3 best places to go party. Maybe not on a Monday. But Put In Bay is a sinners island. Wow just wow.

Posted by BroadRipplebronco on 2011-08-16 23:12:11

Post like this are why I check out this site (&#8216Its&#8217) 2-3 times a day. Outstanding.

Looking forward to another preseason game and hopefully some DL analysis, esp given the injuries over the last few days. Not sure Warren was contributing that much anyway.

Posted by krissberg on 2011-08-16 23:09:56

Killer post Ted.

I have rewatched the first teamers a few times now and you&#8217ve hit the nail on the head. I even think Allen will come up with additonal specialty exotic looks because of the number of supremely talented, yet versatile players Denver has. What a difference year makes, huh?

Regarding Decker in the slot, I couldn&#8217t agree more. I view WRs as 1 move WRs or 2 move WRs. Eddie is a very good WR when he is running a double move and can use his sudden acceleration to his advantage. Like Steve Smith, he&#8217s a very good go-stop-go player. Decker, on the other hand is most definitely a 1 move guy. He runs a more precise and tall route, give the QB a good target, and has the body to shield a defender well and catch with his hands extended. If we&#8217re going to draw paralelles here, I&#8217d say he catches the ball like Brandon Marshall actually. Now the similarities end there, as Marshall has elite after the catch abilities and an incredible and powerful body, and Decker is not in his league physically, but when it comes to understanding how to get a release, make a cut, and be in a position to make a catch, Marshall has company in a guy like Decker.

Posted by super7 on 2011-08-16 22:34:52

I also have a question for Ted (or anyone else). Consider the Rush 60 formation. Could you play the Rush 60 as a base defense if the extra DB was a safety with good tackling? This is because the dangerous teams pass more than they run, and by using a safety, you get better coverage than an LB and better run support than an extra CB.

Posted by John Hilton on 2011-08-16 22:07:13

P.S. I&#8217m curious, Ted, about your take on Jeremy Beal, who I understand is slower than slow but has outstanding instincts and technique and somehow (reminds me of Dumervil in that regard) keeps making plays (at least at the college level). Have you seen him play? How well is he developing? Do you think he has a chance of sticking and contributing to our pass rush?

Posted by spock on 2011-08-16 21:53:47

One niggle: &#8220The drafting of Miller was criticized by football commentators [who mostly don’t know what they’re talking about] because they’re convinced that he’s not a scheme fit, but he’s quickly going to become the centerpiece player that the scheme is built around.&#8221 Read that without the gratuitous aside (in brackets) and it gets to the point more directly with more punch. The entire piece was educational&#8212you really know your stuff, Ted&#8212and left me wanting more, more, more. Miller is going to be a disruptive force, no doubt, and your comment that Decker has &#8220an outstanding natural feel for finding soft spots in zones&#8221 reminded me of his remark that &#8220Inside you got to know the defense, where to sit in the holes and stuff, so that&#8217s fun.&#8221 You referred to Dawkins, McCarthy and Carter being active. Did you mean Moore instead of Carter? I noticed in one of the DP articles that McCarthy was taking first team reps Saturday. Has he moved ahead of Moore, do you think, or was that situational? I loved your descriptive terms for the alignments&#8212base 40, standup 50, etc.&#8212and your explanations, which made them easy to grasp. Good writing and a brilliant analysis. I can&#8217t wait to see more.

Posted by spock on 2011-08-16 21:45:48

What about Mack the Knife Hunter! He was outstanding in his relief role with two sacks and another QB pressure that forced a throwaway. He was winning most of his one on one battles decisively. Our overall DE grouping looks surprisingly strong to me.

I read a tweet today from Mason saying McCarthy played w/ the 1s ahead of Moore. McCarthy is proving to be very valuable. Having Dawkins, McCarthy and Moore on the field could be very entertaining. I wonder if we&#8217ll see a package where they can be on the field at the same time. This strategy seems to work some for the Raiders when they have 3 safeties on the field. If possible, could someone explain what type of defense (& related responsibilities) such a personnel grouping would have?

Also, Decker in the slot works but not sure I buy it as a consistent set up. I&#8217d have to agree with CW in that the slot should have quick, shifty, &#8220good hands&#8221 slot guys since it seems they need to get to the soft spot in a hurry when playing against heavy blitzing teams. I know it worked against the blitz vs. Cowboys (using Decker), but it also seems eerily similar to having a tall guy run back kickoffs - a recipe for big collisions/injury. I would prefer using Decker sparingly at the slot and using Anderson there more frequently.

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2011-08-16 20:26:44

You have such a fine analytical mind, Ted, it&#8217s a pleasure to read posts such as this by you. Thanks once again for the education.

I believe Decker is going to be a nightmare for defenses in the slot. As you mentioned, defenses are used to smaller, quicker receivers there, but a big, quick, excellent route runner such as he will open up the game, especially on third downs.

Defenses are not going to know what to do on 3rd down with Decker in the slot, Fells/Thomas at TE, and McGahee out of the backfield. What was a weakness last year just may become a strength this year, don&#8217t you think?

Posted by LarryB on 2011-08-16 19:59:49

nice ted. can you do a followup on the change in the way the front seven moves (vs how they set up)? i&#8217ve always thought that the broncs in the last x years have been woefully unsophisticated in the way they attack. on pass rushes and blitzes, it felt like everyone was just doing their own thing, trying to just win one-on-one battles. whereas you watch on some of the better defenses and they coordinate how the DL moves to create blitzing lanes for the LBs or DBs.

i remember watching one BALT blitz where they had an LB and safety blitz through the same gap back to back&#8212the force and angle of the LB created a small window of opportunity that the safety slipped through without slowing down. perfectly coordinated and timed.

as one example on thur, on the long dallas run where mays missed the tackle in the hole, what was striking to me was that the entire DL pushed left at the snap and the LBs looped around to the right to run through the vacated space.

on another play, i saw a DT (not sure which one), push forward and left in an attempt to clean out two OLs, and ayers did a mini stunt behind the DT to attack the gap.

it just felt to this untrained observer that there was much more coordinated activity by the DL, more controlled chaos, more penetration that wasn&#8217t attributable just to better talent.

Posted by sterto on 2011-08-16 19:55:39

I like the idea of a larger guy in the slot as well. It never made sense to me why you&#8217d run your smallest WR through the most trafficked area of the defense; seems to me that&#8217s a good way to get your slot WR killed (and a lot of these Wes Welker / Brandon Stokely types do get injured quite a bit). I think it&#8217s mostly a reflection of the fact that you&#8217ve got to have a WR who runs quick, precise routes in the slot, and these guys tend to be smaller. That and if you&#8217ve got a really top-notch WR you&#8217re likely to want him on the outside where he can get into more open space. But if what Ted&#8217s saying about Decker and Royal&#8217s respective skill sets is true, then there&#8217s no reason why a bigger guy couldn&#8217t excel in the slot while the smaller guy excels on the outside. I agree that Royal may not be ideal at the slot, it feels like he got put there by default because he was smaller and they had some prototypical size-speed WR&#8217s that they wanted to put on the outside. The reasoning that he had the body type to fit the Wes Welker mold made sense on the surface, but for a variety of reasons that largely didn&#8217t materialize. As for Decker, I&#8217ll defer to Ted&#8217s evaluation as I haven&#8217t seen enough film on him to pass judgement. But I like the idea of a size mismatch in the slot, because it allows the WR to present a big target to the QB for an easy outlet throw on 3rd downs. really helps take the wind out of the D&#8217s sails when they blitz on 3rd down, and keeps control of the pace of the game.

Posted by Hercules Rockefeller on 2011-08-16 19:42:33

Nice write up Ted

My condolences on the tough luck with the garters. Of all the garters you might have caught, imagine the odds against ending up with 3 Cleveland Browns ones. On the other hand, those are probably the most likely ones to be thrown (away).